All you need to do is immediately transfer your eggs to an ice bath after you boil them. This seems to sort of shock the shell and make it easier to peel. It also halts the cooking process allowing you to decide exactly how your yolks are cooked. I let my
As soon as the water boils, remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes (13 minutes for small eggs or 17 minutes extra large eggs). Prepare a bowl of ice water. After 15 minutes, place the eggs in the ice water and allow them to cool completely (about 15 minutes).
Some people prefer to peel their hard-boiled eggs before storing – and that's A-OK. You'll just need to take a few extra steps: Transfer hard-boiled eggs to a bowl of cold water immediately after cooking to help them cool down faster. Peel the eggs under running water.
For one to four eggs, bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and turn the heat down to its lowest setting for 12-14 minutes. For five to eight eggs, cook for 15 to 18 minutes. For nine to one dozen eggs, cook for 20 minutes.
Give the eggs at least five minutes in the ice bath before you try to peel them—letting them cool may help make it easier to peel them, but it's also so you don't burn your hands.
The ice bath will cool the eggs quickly and stop the cooking process. The ice water will also cause the egg to contract and pull away from the shell, which will make it easier to peel. Let the eggs sit in the ice bath for at least 5 minutes.
Hard boiled eggs should be cooled quickly by running cold water into the pan. Once cooled, crack the shells all over on a a hard surface and then peel the shell off.
Boil for 6 – 7 minutes over medium-high heat for perfect hard-boiled eggs. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl of ice water and let them cool for a few minutes. Or you can place them under cool running water to stop the cooking.
As soon as the water begins to boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Leave the eggs in the hot water for anywhere from 10-12 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. The 10-minute eggs will have vibrant, creamy yolks, while the 12-minute yolks will be paler and opaque, with a chalkier texture.
Here's her hack for how to peel hard-boiled eggs in large batches: Put five thoroughly cooled hard-boiled eggs into a small plastic container with some cold water, top with the lid and then gently rock and shake until the shells break and fall away. You'll almost always end up with perfectly peeled eggs.
Let the eggs sit in the cold water for 15 minutes to cool (you can add a few ice cubes to make them cold if using immediately), or refrigerate overnight. Peel under cool running water. Whether you peel them right out of the pan or the next day doesn't matter. Either way, they peel easily.
If you boil an egg for five or 10 minutes, it becomes firm and cooked. If you boil it for hours, it becomes rubbery and overcooked.
Tips for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs:
Don't cover with the lid or you won't be able to see when the water starts boiling. Set a timer as soon as the water is at a boil (keep watch for the start of the boil so you aren't guessing at your timings).
Hard-boiled eggs are safe to eat as long as they have been handled and stored properly. The process of boiling eggs for 30 minutes or longer will effectively kill any bacteria present, such as salmonella, that could cause food poisoning if the egg was consumed raw or undercooked.
The trick to great hard boiled eggs is not over-cooking them, which can leave a grey ring around the yolk and make their texture a bit rubbery.
4 minutes for slightly set yolk and set white. 5 minutes for a medium cooked firmer yolk and white. 6 minutes for hard boiled with lightly soft yolk. 8 minutes for firmly hard boiled.
Using a slotted spoon to gently lower the eggs prevents them from cracking. Exactly six minutes is just enough cooking time for the perfect soft-boiled texture.
A nine minute cook time is best for large eggs. To avoid overcooking make sure that your water never passes the 180-degree mark and be sure to use a timer. After your timer goes off, give your eggs a cool bath under cool water for a few minutes.
Reuse Cooking Water
Those who cook with water need to learn how to reuse water that is cooking the food. If the water is being used in something like pasta, then there's no problem with reusing the water when cooking another type of pasta, potatoes, boiled eggs, vegetables or other types of foods.
Shocking your recently boiled eggs by submerging them into a bowl of ice water is key. The quick cooling of the hard-boiled eggs causes the egg whites to contract, freeing them from the membrane. If you let them cool for about 15 minutes, the peeling is much easier.
This is because the egg white or “albumen” in a fresh egg has a relatively low pH level, making it acidic. When cooked, these fresh egg whites bond strongly to the inner shell's membrane. As an egg ages, the pH level rises and the inner membrane is less likely to bond to the albumen, so the shell peels off much easier.
Bring eggs to boil:
Slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12 minutes.